Zone Conference

This will probably be a short email.  Weather was better.  A few days of rain, and I don't think it broke 100.

Rebecca dropped us. With her handicap we think she got too scared and
stressed out.  So we are no longer teaching her.

Carin was gone this week.  We have an appointment with her on Wednesday.
Jamie and Leona STILL have not come to church! 
We seem to be cleaning our teaching pool right now.  But, we are
having a hard time filling it!

Yesterday, we gave half of the lesson during the 5th-Sunday Relief
Society/Priesthood talking about missionary work and introducing the
members to the mission plan.  We hope to have the Preach My Gospel
class going next week.

Zone Conference was amazing!  President talked about Repentance and
Pride (can you have a better zone conference than that!) :)  We had a
scripture chase.  Elder Potter was first, President Bulloch second,
then I was third.  (Is that prideful????)

We talked about how repentance is about changing.  I loved what
president put in his email this week: "We all have things we need to
change, and the “enabling power” of the grace of Christ provides us
with the “divine means of help or strength” (BD, 697) to make those
changes.  A key to making lasting change is focusing on “small and
simple things” (Alma 37:36).  President Eyring has said, “My
experience has taught me this about how people and organizations
improve: the best place to look is for small changes we could make in
things we do often” (CES address, 6 February 1998).  In other words,
improvement comes best by changing little things we do often, rather
than making drastic changes all at once."

Elder Kunzler (AP) at Zone Conference asked me how long I have been
out, and my heart sunk when I realized I have been out 14 months
tomorrow.  Time goes by fast.  Don't waste it!

I was reading in 3 Nephi this morning about the Lord blessing the
children and how he wept.  It reminded me of the question Enoch had
for the Lord when he saw Him wept:

 25And he saw angels descending out of heaven; and he heard a loud
voice saying: Wo, wo be unto the inhabitants of the earth.

 26And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it
veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and
laughed, and his angels rejoiced.

 27And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony
of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were
caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.

 28And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue
of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How
is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain
upon the mountains?

 29And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep,
seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?

 30And were it possible that man could number the particles of the
earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning
to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out
still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou
art just; thou art merciful and kind forever;

 31And thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy
creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and naught but peace,
justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go
before thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst weep?

 32The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the
workmanship of mine own hands...
What great love He has for us!  Can we but come unto him and be
healed?  Can we come to grasp the depth of his understanding and
wisdom, love and devotion?

Love,
Elder Shurtz